New partnership of faith, charity and volunteer groups is working together to provide assistance for the homeless from the CVA Resource Centre and West Croydon Baptist Church, following the Prime Minister’s pledge to eliminate rough sleeping
Ambitious target: £442m is being spent to get the homeless off the streets
The first instruction that Andy Burnham gave on becoming Prime Minister was for there to be a national drive to end rough sleeping, with an ambitious target of providing a route off the streets for those that need it by Christmas. This has been backed by increased funding of £442million.
One step towards that will be a day centre to open next month to assist the homeless in Croydon, backed with funding from government, and to be operated by voluntary and faith groups based in the borough who have formed CHIP – the Croydon Homelessness Intervention Partnership.
The day centre will be based at the CVA Resource Centre on London Road, and is due to be open three days a week, while outreach work will be taking place two days a week. Some one-to-one and community events will also take place at West Croydon Baptist Church, which will be working in partnership with CVA (Croydon Voluntary Action), Croydon Association for Young Single Homeless (CAYSH) and homelessness charity Spires.
“With existing Croydon day services at capacity and heavily oversubscribed, we saw an urgent need for an open-access space offering professional advice and support,” a CHIP spokesperson told Inside Croydon.
“Now more Croydon residents will have another safe and welcoming space to go during the day where they can access early help if rough-sleeping or facing homelessness; including younger residents and those in insecure housing who may not engage with traditional homelessness services.”
The scheme is being funded by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, through the Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund.
“This new provision is very welcome,” according to one source working in the Croydon charity sector.
“The fact that it will be set up highlights the continuing and deepening need we have in Croydon for services for homeless and otherwise vulnerable people.”
The CHIP partnership says, “The whole community has a role to play in ending rough sleeping. By focusing on people’s strengths and connecting them with local groups, activities, assets and support networks, participants will build a stronger community ‘net’ and resilience.”
Alongside informal activities, a safe place to rest, laundry and showers, visitors will be able to access targeted housing and homelessness prevention support.
This will include:
- Rapid needs assessments when people approach the service
- Housing advice and home-search support
- Tenancy sustainment coaching
- Debt advice and money-management support
- Employability advice and one-to-one coaching
- Mediation with families where relationship breakdown risks homelessness
- Support with accessing benefits, services and healthcare
- Strength-based support and “volunteer befriending”, to increase people’s networks, local connections and resilience
Chris Deacon, the chief exec at CAYSH, said, “We are thrilled to be working with CVA and Spires, bringing help to homeless people in Croydon. We are excited to trial innovative approaches in reaching young people in the community who are at risk of homelessness, to help them secure good homes and avoid homelessness.”
While Rev Denzil Larbi, the pastor of West Croydon Baptist Church, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be able to host a place where people experiencing homelessness can come, feel welcome and get the right information and support to help them start on a better journey.
“This is very much part of our heart as a church, and we’re so grateful for the support and for our partnership with CVA, CAYSH and Spires in making this possible.”
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